Touch Deprivation And Senior Balance Exercises

Increase Touch For Senior Balance Exercises

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

 Decreased sensory acuity in later years can impact many areas of life and necessitate the augmentation of massage techniques and  senior balance exercises for a more healthy lifestyle. Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Medical professionals are well aware that as we age we experience a decline on our sensory feedback systems including the sense of touch.  The sense of touch between our feet and the floor is a critical component of good balance. In addition, the sense of touch from another person has an enormous impact as it conveys fondness, security, closeness, warmth, concern, and encouragement, and makes older adults feel an increased sense of trust and well-being. Senior citizens report that touch helps them to develop close, trusting relationships with staff and other residents in care facilities. As tactile sensitivity decreases, the need to receive expressive touch may increase. Nature can be cruel however, and the elderly person often may have no one to provide this increased touch. Furthermore, providing touch through massage therapy can be hugely beneficial. Massage therapists can be agents of change and have the power to profoundly impact quality of life for older adults by reversing the effects of touch deprivation. Of course there are physical benefits of massage resulting in improved function in activities of daily living. Massage alleviates aches and pains and improves circulation, resulting in greater ease of movement and the ability to perform physical tasks with greater comfort. We are all aware that massage induces a relaxation response, leading to improved sleep quality and feelings of calmness.  Massage increases body awareness reducing the risk of falls. Adding massaging of the feet to a daily performance of senior balance exercises can assist to minimize the potential of a fall.

Sensory Stimulation For Senior Balance Exercises

   Before rehearsing senior balance exercises, it can be beneficial to massage your feet and stimulate the sense of touch. Since the sensory input from your feet to the floor is one of the key components to the balance system, it is critical to enhance sensory stimulation in the feet as we age. One effective means of increasing sensory stimulation is to massage your feet. For example, you can begin your daily fitness program with a few minutes of a foot massage and then initiate a standing balance exercise like standing on one foot. By starting with a massage, you will enhance the sensory feedback from your feet to the balance system in the brain, resulting in improved stability. You can learn which senior balance exercises to perform and how to practice them by following along with a detailed instruction from a knowledgeable Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To advance your overall steadiness, get started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Stay steady by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/